How to Make 3D Particle Animations without Plugins (After Effects Tutorial)

This tutorial shares the secret to making better 3D particle animations in After Effects without the use of 3rd party plugins. It also shows how to use the optional “Pixel Pusher“ template, available at Anyone with After Effects can create this effect and experiment on their own. Simply follow along with the tutorial to learn how. The Pixel Pusher template includes over 40 custom presets (including all the particle animations seen in the video). It’s designed to be easy to use. Everything is customizable using convenient slider controls. This effect can be used to create 3D water or oceans, 3D landscapes with hills or mountains, grid or wireframe landscapes, flowing silk or cloth ribbons, and a variety of other abstract 3D elements. The effect also works with footage, breaking your footage up into thousands of small dots or particles to make a 3D pixelated halftone-dots look. The “CC Particle World“ and “CC Particle Systems II“ effects are limited in what they offer. This effect unlocks another, less obvious method of creating particles in Adobe After Effects, allowing users to create a different kind of animation in which pixels are pushed out in three dimensions, based on their brightness values. Watch the tutorial to learn how.